


threads that bind

by cantfoolajoker (lichmutual)



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Persona Series
Genre: Also background Kujikawa Rise bc I love her, Background Aragaki Shinjiro/Sanada Akihiko - Freeform, Character Study, Fluff, Gen, Male Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 06:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30084918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lichmutual/pseuds/cantfoolajoker
Summary: Kanji Tatsumi finds a connection in one Shinjiro Aragaki when they talk over sewing.
Relationships: Aragaki Shinjiro & Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	threads that bind

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally written for bent up (a kanji tatsumi zine)! i got to write this fun character study piece centering on kanji, so i hope it's enjoyable to read. also, a big shout out to anyone who finds this who also bought the zine! <3

“Kanji-kun.”

Kanji was fairly certain he hadn’t heard this voice before — there had been a lot of new people joining them in the labyrinth recently. While he could pin some of the more vocal members of the newest team joining them, he knew he still hadn’t heard every single one of their members.

When he turned, his suspicions were confirmed at the slouching sight of the maroon-clad delinquent approaching him, arms in his pockets and face barely visible past the collar of his jacket and the beanie covering his head. Kanji knew his name vaguely from introductions.

“Aragaki-san? Whattya want?” Kanji asked, holding himself stiff.

Shinjiro huffed in annoyance. “Don’t call me that,” he told him, waving his hand. “You’re making me feel like an old man.”

“Ah, sorry, I wasn’t trynna imply you were — like — old or anythin’,” Kanji said, though he still hadn’t relaxed since Shinjiro approached. He reminded him a lot of the city delinquents his ma told him to avoid, but he’d learned his lesson on assuming how people were like based on how they acted and looked with the blonde punk on the thief team.

Shinjiro sighed through his nose, and Kanji guessed that was his answer of _I’m going to ignore what you said and just move on._ “Your friends said you might have a sewing kit or somethin’ on you?” he asked, and from Shinjiro’s pocket came a bright, balled up red vest. “Idiot ripped his vest tryin’ to show off to the underclassmen.”

He nodded his head over to the larger group of people in the center of the lobby of the movie theater, where a white haired third year was showing off how he could pick up the couches to aforementioned blond punk from earlier and the leader of the thief team. 

Kanji slowly nodded his head, forgetting to give a response as he watched the display of strength until Shinjiro said his name again. ”Kanji-kun?”

“Oh — uh! Yeah, I do have one!”

It was small in size, something that Kanji carried around with him in case of any “wardrobe malfunctions”, as his friends called it. It wasn’t until Kanji handed it over that the interaction dawned on him. “Wait — you can sew, Shinjiro-senpai?”

“‘Course I can,” Shinjiro responded with ease, and Kanji watched as he moved closer to one of the standing tables to pull the needle and clear thread out of the kit to begin working. Kanji couldn’t help but follow his movements to stand next to him.

“Where’dja learn how?”

“Why’s that important?”

“I guess — uh,” Kanji paused, feeling the words and emotions catching at the back of his throat.

Kanji caught the glance Shinjiro casted over him, the subtle look of confusion and worry he didn’t want to be read outright. He found some amusement in it from an odd stand point; it was the same sort of look he remembered getting from his own team.

“I was raised in an orphanage with Aki,” Shinjiro explained, beginning to sew the rip in the vest up.

“Akihiko-san?”

“Yeah, idiot.”

Kanji felt himself bristle until he realized Shinjrio was still referring to the white haired third year, as he looked fondly there was a glance casted in Akihiko’s direction, with an affection that Kanji did not miss.

“You two must be real close, huh?”

Shinjiro laughed, and Kanji watched the way the corner of his lips rose into a smile. It was a complete 180 to the way Kanji had watched him hold himself earlier in their conversation. “Yeah, you could put it like that.”

“So — you learned how to sew to help with stuff like this?”

“Yeah. Cook too.”

Kanji nodded his head, eyes focused on Shinjiro’s hands. “My uh — my family owns a textile store.”

Shinjiro grunted in response, a hum that sounded like filler for Kanji to continue.

Kanji stuttered over his words. “Yeah — Like — They sell fabric and clothes?”

“....I know what a textile store is, Kanji-kun.”

“Yeah but — I’m just — Makin’ sure you know!”

Silence fell between them, Kanji watching as Shinjiro worked. He wasn’t _bad_ per say, but it was easy to tell Shinjiro was self taught. _The stitch could be different. It’d work better if you did this instead. This kind of stitch wouldn’t leave a noticeable trace like you’re doing._

“What’d you say?” Shinjiro suddenly asked, and Kanji blinked, realizing he had stopped working and was looking at him.

“Uh!” Kanji panicked.

“You mentioned somethin’ about the stitch?” Shinjiro asked him, quirking his eyebrows in a way that made his face darken dangerously. Did he accidentally make him mad?

“I was just — talkin’ out loud. Sorry for interruptin’, Shinjiro-senpai,” Kanji explained, bringing his hands up to show he didn’t want to pick a fight with his new friend. The look on Shinjiro’s face changed, and the dark overhang clarified now into what Kanji could read as confused amusement. _Is this why Rise keeps tellin’ me to think before I react?_

“You got some pointers you could give me, Kanji-kun?”

That was…. unexpected. Kanji had never had _anyone_ ask him for technique tips.

“Uh — sure!” he responded, feeling his own expression give away the surprise.

Teaching was like second nature to Kanji; he couldn’t ever describe the shift he felt when he took over that sort of role to someone else. He’d always been matter-of-fact in his observations — not surprising given his eye for detail was always praised — but this paired with his want to see someone else succeed molded a very calm, patient persona that Kanji donned. 

Soon enough, the ladder stitch was perfected and clean, and when Kanji showed Shinjiro how to pull on the thread, the tear was closed as if nothing had ever happened in the first place for it to need a repair.

“Thanks, Kanji-kun; it looks way better than I could’ve done on my own,” Shinjiro told him, the slightest curve of a smile on his lips from the way the corners tilted upward, and he moved to bite the thread —

“Hey, there’s scissors in the bag!” Kanji told him suddenly, voice raising, and the two paused their movements as soon as Kanji had finished speaking. “Ack!”

“You’re real passionate about this sorta stuff, huh?” Shinjiro laughed, grabbing the aforementioned scissors to cut the thread rather than — eugh — bite it. 

“It’s just not practical to bite it when ya got scissors,” Kanji reasoned, crossing his arms and huffing. He heard Shinjiro laugh, a low chuckle he probably didn’t want Kanji to hear, but Kanji heard it anyway and he blushed deeper at his senpai’s consideration of his feelings. Great.

“Kanji-kun?” Shinjiro finally spoke, the sound of his cleaning up finally reaching Kanji’s ears again as he came back to the situation at hand. His eyes focused on Shinjiro, who wasn’t looking at him but was instead neatly folding the red vest in front of him.

“Yeah, Shinjiro-senpai?”

“I dunno what your whole thing is,” he started, and Kanji was pretty certain he paused to let those words sink in, “but what I can tell you is that this is genuinely a useful skill to have. Don’t feel embarrassed about it or anythin’, alright?”

From the bits and pieces Shinjiro had told him about himself, Kanji knew his and Shinjiro’s situations were nowhere near the same — Kanji was grateful to have his ma still, after all, even if he tried to pretend he wasn’t. There was something different though about hearing someone cool and strong like Shinjiro validate his skill set though. 

“Oh — uh — thank you,” Kanji stuttered, feeling his hair stand as if it wasn’t spiked back to begin with already. “Uh — you cook, right, Shinjiro-senpai?”

“Mhm?”

“Woulda be willin’ to show me some pointers sometime?”

Kanji watched Shinjiro pause himself, and he swore he saw the softest shade of pink on his cheeks as he ducked his chin into the thick collar of his coat. _Wha —_

“Sure, if that’s what you want as repayment for helpin’ me,” Shinjiro responded, sounding more gruff than he had been before.

“It’s… not repayment —”

“It’s repayment,” Shinjiro told him, and Kanji knew not to push it further.

“Oh — uh — alright, I guess.”

Shinjiro passed him back the sewing kit, and Kanji pocketed it in smooth motion. With only a quiet nod, Shinjiro left back to the main group.

Kanji watched him move to the white haired third year he saw before and pass over the vest, which was met with excitement as the boy pulled it on once more and adjusted his undershirt properly. _It must be nice havin’ a friend like that. I wish I had someone like that._

Shinjiro was the type of guy Kanji wanted to be like. The “don’t mess with me or my friends” type, but he was good and caring underneath it all. He saw Shinjiro as a real man like his pa talked about.

Kanji continued to watch the two in thought, watching as Akihiko cast a glance around as if checking to see if no one was looking before he moved to kiss Shinjiro on the cheek — wait —

“Huh?” Kanji said audibly, feeling his cheeks burn. 

“You okay, Kanji?” Rise asked — when did _she_ walk over here?

“Uh — it’s nothing!” Kanji responded, pulling his eyes away as fast as he could from the image of a more blushing Shinjiro rubbing the back of his neck and Akihiko grinning.

“You sure? I think you may have a fever.”

“I’m fine, Rise!”

“Don’t shout at me, Kanji!”

All was right, even in Kanji’s embarrassment.


End file.
